The United States Passport Agency is causing strife for many American citizens. Vacations, wedding plans outside the country, business trips, child support, are all being impacted negatively because the Passport Agency does not have the staff or resources to timely process expedited passport applications. American travelers who do not have valid US passports can't travel overseas this summer because of the significant backlog of more than a million applications. The wait time for expedited applications are 12 weeks. That means that anyone who applies for an expedited passport today won't get their passport until sometime this fall.

A suggestion: Since there’s such a backlog of renewals and not enough staff, why not issue a temporary extension of expired passports? If my proposal is enacted, citizens who have passports that expired sometime in 2020 would be able to go to any local post office, show them the expired passport and get an extension that would last until the end of this year. Local police agencies or other appropriate Federal agencies working with the State Dept. could ensure appropriate background checks are conducted.

This suggestion would enable Americans who would like to finally enjoy travelling again to have a great summer, see loved ones, get to where they need to go. The suggestion would help the airlines, the travel industry, taxi drivers who transport people to airports and most importantly would make people very happy and less stressed.

_PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh NY Town Supervisor